'Yes We Can'- Obama supporters celebrate at Jillians
However we were still not united
TG Branfalt Jr.
Issue date: 11/10/08 Section: Election night
On election night Jillian's was packed with Obama supporters and David Soares election workers. Black, white, young, old. Most wore Obama-Biden pins and slammed Thunderstix together with child like joy.
The crowd went into a frenzy when Virginia turned blue. At that point they knew the end of the Republican era was over. They knew change had trumped politics as usual. When Obama's electoral count surpassed 270 and McCain conceded the chants were deafening. Some people wept and others had another drink to celebrate, the crowd was delirious with hope and drunk on 6 for $10 Coronas.
Obama supporters changed their rally cry from "yes we can" to "yes we did." One woman stumbled around shouting "Happy New Year." It was as though the ball had dropped and 2008 had finally come.
It was a "democratic tsunami," according to the speaker on the stage (his name was drowned in the deafening cheers.)
"America was tired," a middle aged black woman told the FOX news cameras.
"Imagine if Rudy and Hillary were at this point," said my friend Jordan Caslin, a 23 year old Troy resident who hadn't voted but was celebrating the Obama win, "It wouldn't be the same."
"It's cool," said Dan Brighton, a 23 year old UAlbany student who wasn't celebrating the victory but wasn't "upset" either even though he had voted for McCain.
A group of young black people shouted "Ain't no stoppin' now" from their tables in the middle of the bar.
America had put a black man in the nation's highest office, a sure sign that we were, at last, were a united nation. Yet Jillian's would not allow five young men, including myself, into the bar.
Having already been in the bar to celebrate Obama's victory I went outside to call my mom and have a cigarette, my two friends followed. The streets were fairly empty for the occasion never-the-less a friend from UAlbany walks up to the bar entrance. I hang up the phone and we embrace, each congratulating one other as if we were president-elect. Tim was out on the town with two of his cousins. They were thrilled, high on the pure emotion of the night. While we finished our smokes we discussed the Obama victory. We talked about the progress we had made as a country, finally, with race relations. As we put out our cigarettes we said good-bye to Dan and started inside for one last victory drink. We were stopped short.
The crowd went into a frenzy when Virginia turned blue. At that point they knew the end of the Republican era was over. They knew change had trumped politics as usual. When Obama's electoral count surpassed 270 and McCain conceded the chants were deafening. Some people wept and others had another drink to celebrate, the crowd was delirious with hope and drunk on 6 for $10 Coronas.
Obama supporters changed their rally cry from "yes we can" to "yes we did." One woman stumbled around shouting "Happy New Year." It was as though the ball had dropped and 2008 had finally come.
It was a "democratic tsunami," according to the speaker on the stage (his name was drowned in the deafening cheers.)
"America was tired," a middle aged black woman told the FOX news cameras.
"Imagine if Rudy and Hillary were at this point," said my friend Jordan Caslin, a 23 year old Troy resident who hadn't voted but was celebrating the Obama win, "It wouldn't be the same."
"It's cool," said Dan Brighton, a 23 year old UAlbany student who wasn't celebrating the victory but wasn't "upset" either even though he had voted for McCain.
A group of young black people shouted "Ain't no stoppin' now" from their tables in the middle of the bar.
America had put a black man in the nation's highest office, a sure sign that we were, at last, were a united nation. Yet Jillian's would not allow five young men, including myself, into the bar.
Having already been in the bar to celebrate Obama's victory I went outside to call my mom and have a cigarette, my two friends followed. The streets were fairly empty for the occasion never-the-less a friend from UAlbany walks up to the bar entrance. I hang up the phone and we embrace, each congratulating one other as if we were president-elect. Tim was out on the town with two of his cousins. They were thrilled, high on the pure emotion of the night. While we finished our smokes we discussed the Obama victory. We talked about the progress we had made as a country, finally, with race relations. As we put out our cigarettes we said good-bye to Dan and started inside for one last victory drink. We were stopped short.
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